New Delhi, January 16
The J&K Police have constituted a special investigation team to probe the mysterious death of 14 people, including 11 children, belonging to three families in a remote village in Rajouri district.
SSP Rajouri, Gaurav Sikarwar told media that the 11-member special investigation team (SIT) headed by the Superintendent of Police (operations) Budhal, Wajahat Hussain, has been formed keeping in view the sensitivity of the inquest proceeding initiated into the deaths.
Deputy Superintendent of Police of Kandi Vikram Sarmhal, SHO of Kandi Abrar Khan, SHO of women police station in Rajouri Sushma Thakur, Inspector Rajeev Kumar, Sub-Inspector Pankaj Sharma and Assistant Sub-inspector Pawan Sharma have been included as members of the SIT.
The SIT also included experts from the Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department, Microbiology Department, Paediatrics Department and the Pathology Department.
The police said that the initial reports indicate the presence of certain neurotoxins in the samples of the deceased, which are being further investigated to determine the reasons behind these fatalities.
The SIT in charge will also use the services of experts from food safety, agriculture, Jal Shakti (Public Health Engineering) Departments and experts of the FSL team, Jammu, for investigation.
Kandi police station registered four DDRS on December 7, 12, 23 and January 12, a total of 14 people — a man and his four children, a woman and her three children and a man and his four grandchildren when they were found dead under suspicious circumstances.
